Youths Plate Final 12/11/23

Virginia FC 1-2 Borora Juniors

Borora Juniors and Virginia clashed in the MDL in Navan to settle who would lift the shield after brilliant runs from both teams in the tournament. Borora started with some nice passing combinations in the middle of the park but then we could see some nerves coming through as possession was easily lost on a couple of occasions. Virginia broke through on one of these occasions, but commanding centre-back Cian Rourke cut it out and started a Borora counter attack. A pass from Jack Butler to Eanna Bennett led to Bennett getting a chance to take a shot but unfortunately just scuffed it wide. Virgina then found themselves in a good position at Borora’s corner flag when a foul was given to award them a free kick. A cross was sent in and found a Virginia defender who knocked in a powerful header to open the scoring and make it 1-0 to Virginia. Borora looked to bounce back immediately with Pavlo Ahbontaen running at defenders with some tricky feet and playing a ball to Jack Butler, however Butler couldn’t find the opportunity to get a shot off. Shortly after this we saw the first substitute being made as Pavlo made way for Lochlann O’Reilly in attack.

He made an impact right away as a cross from Jack Butler found him back post and he hit a powerful header just wide. Borora found themselves under-the-cosh for a period of time before the break but a few good saves from Oisin McInerney and resolute defending from the Borora backline kept the score at 1-0.

Borora knew they needed to wake up to get back into the game and captain Patrick Gallagher delivered a team talk to set them up for the second half. Borora played with more confidence as midfielders Dean Williams, David Butler and Conrad Mcillvenna started to control the play. Some really nice passing moves followed, with Borora firmly turning the tables and putting the pressure on the Virginia backline. This pressure gave Eanna Bennett and Lochlan O’Reilly more chances to score but they were unfortunately unsuccessful. The Borora backline were alert to the few second-half chances Virginia did have and brilliant work from defenders Luke Quinn and Conor Fitzpatrick kept Virginia out. This kickstarted another Borora attack, which saw Eanna Bennett making a brilliant run to leave him 1 on 1 with the keeper. The Borora contingent of the crowd roared him on but unfortunately his effort was saved. Conrad McIlvenna was also unfortunate as the keeper made another good save. After brilliant performances in midfield from Dean Williams and David Butler, they made way for Rowland O’ Reilly and Phenoix Brennan. Almost immediately after the substitutions were made, the Borora goal drought was finally broken. Conor Fitzpatrick won a foul and sent in a perfect cross to find Lochlann O’Reilly. His header deflected off a Virginia player and settled into the top corner to make the game 1-1. With momentum on their side Borora were determined to get the win, Conor Fitzpatrick gained possession in his own half and showed some impressive dribbling by weaving in and out of 3 Virgina players before sending in a cross that wasn’t converted. Keeping the pressure on, Eanna Bennett found himself in another great position and struck a half volley which was too powerful for the keeper to catch and the ball trickled past him into the net. 2-1 to Borora. The Borora sideline and crowd roared in delight. A late free kick conceded had manager Brian Lynch pulling his hair out, but defenders, Patrick Gallagher, Cian Rourke, Luke Quinn, and Conor Fitzpatrick, put in incredible performances to ensure that Virgina didn’t equalise. The final whistle blew and Borora had won the shield. Having endured a lot over the past three seasons, the Borora players and management were overjoyed and emotional to finally get their hands on a piece of silverware. Borora’s Patrick Gallagher delivered a great speech and accepted the silverware to take back to the team. Medals were handed out and several team pictures with the shield were taken. An incredible match to watch and a great day for Borora Juniors.

Managers- Brian Lynch, Eric Molloy, Paul Fitzpatrick

Match day squad:

Pavlo Ahbontaen

Eanna Bennett

David Butler

Jack Butler

Conor Fitzpatrick

Patrick Gallagher (c)

Conrad McIlvenna

Oisin McInerney

Luke Quinn

Cian Rourke

Dean Williams

Ben Quinn

Ben Carroll

Rowland O’Reilly

Lochlan O’Reilly

Phoenix Brennan

Luke Kelleher

Max McIlvenna

Jack Shalvey